Combination ice-spud and shovel.



No. 722,825. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1903.- W. J-v ESTER.

COMBINATION IGE SPUD AND SHOVEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1902.

NO MODEL.

UNITED STATES:

PATENT OFFICE.

'WILLIAM J. ESTER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

COMBINATION ICE- SPUD AND VSHOVEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 722,825, dated March17, 1903. Application filed March 21, 1902. Serial No. 99,349. (Nmodel-l To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I,WILLIAM J. ESTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rochesfollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to a combination shovel and ice-spud, and has forits object to provide an implement of this description that can bereadily and conveniently changed from one to the other, as occasion mayrequire.

The invention consists of a handle having permanently fixed to the lowerend thereof an ice-spud, a shovel-blade adapted to be de-' tachablysecured to the handle, and means for locking the handle and blade intheir attached positions. A

The invention also consists of certain details and combinations of thesame, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of theshovel-blade and its shank, showing the handle detached. Fig. 2 is afront elevation of the ice-spud and its handle. Fig. 3 is a verticalsectional view of the shovel-blade, showing the handle entering theshank of the shovel-blade. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of theshovel-blade and handle attached.

In the drawings, A represents the shovelblade, provided with a hollowshank a and having a pocket or depression (1 formed in the rear thereofdirectly below the hollow shank. This pocket or depression I provide forthe purpose of receiving the ice-spud or other tool 6 when the handle Bis fastened to the shovel-blade.

The handle B is of the ordinary type, preferably made of wood, andhaving fixedly secured to its lower end the ice-spud e by means of acurved metal neck e, formed on the icespud.

Rigidly fastened to the front of the shank a and at a point near thelower end thereof is a spring-arm b, which is free at its upperend to bepulled outward as occasion may demand and is preferably curved at itsupper end, so as to allow the operator to easily grip the arm when hedesires to unfasten the same to withdraw the handle from the shank a. Inthe upper free end of the spring-arm, di-

rectly below the point where the same begins to curve outward, is a holeor perforation I), which is adapted to receive a pin 0, mounted on thelower end of the handle, when the handle is inserted wholly within thehollow shank a. At the front of the shank and at the upper end thereof Icut away a portion of the same to form a passage-way for the pin 0, andthus serve to guide the pin to the perforation in the handle. By thismeans the handle is securely fastened to the shovel-blade.

To permit of the handle being inserted into the hollow shank, it isnecessary that some provision be made to allow the tool, which isrigidly secured to the lower end of the handle, to pass upon the outsideof the shank, the tool being of too great a size to be inserted withinthe shank together with the ham dle. In order to provide for this, Iform a slot, as at o, in the rear side of the shank, which extendsthroughout its length. This will allow the curved neck, which is of lessdiameter than the width of the slot, to pass down through the same, andthus permit of the ice-spud passing upon the outside of the shank,the-neck being so curved that the spud lies a slight degree to one sideof the direct line of the handle.

As the handle is inserted into the shank a the pin e presses the freeend of the springarm b outward until the handle is fully inserted withinthe shank, when the pin reaches the perforation b, whereupon thespring-arm flies back into its normal position and the shovel issecurely fastened upon the handle ready for use.

It is evident that the above-described mechanism would be equallyefficient if the pin 6 were mounted upon the spring-arm b and there werea hole in the handle at the point where the pin e is located, and Itherefore do not limit myself to the form shown..

While I have illustrated and described merely an ice-spud and a shovel,I do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to suchimplements, as it is obvious that the invention will be equallyefficient with a number of tools of various kinds.

It is obvious that a handle with an ice-spud attached to its lower endconstructed according to this invention may be used with a variety ofinterchangeable tools, each of which would be provided with a hollowshank adapted to receive the lower end of the handle, as hereinbeforedescribed, and the advantages of such arrangements arising throughconvenience and cheapness will be easily appreciated.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the class described,the combination with a handlecarrying an ice-spud at its lower end, of a shovel, and means fordetachably securing the spud-handle to the shovel.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a handlecarrying an ice-spud, of a shovel-blade provided with a hollow shank toreceive the lower end of the spudhandle, a pocket in the shovel-bladefor receiving the spud when the handle is inserted within the shank, andmeans for looking the handle and shovel-blade together.

3. In a device of the class described,the com-' bination with a handlecarrying a spud, said handle provided with a pin located near the lowerend thereof, of a shovel-blade having a hollow shank to receive thelower end of the handle, said shank carrying a spring-arm which isprovided with a perforation near the upper end thereof, to receive thepin and thereby securely lock the handle and blade together.

4:. In a device of the class described,the combination with ashovel-blade provided with a hollow shank open at its rear side, of ahandle adapted to engage the hollow shank and having a curved neckpassing through the opening in the rear of the shank, and a spud on theouter end of the curved neck.

. In Witness whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

' WM. J. ESTER.

Witnesses:

J OHN WARRANT CASTLEMAN, DENNIS G. KAVANAGH.

